What’s It Like To Have Type 1 Diabetes At School?

What's it like to have diabetes at school? With so many schools ill equipped or unwilling to support diabetic kids, it can be a nightmare. It shouldn't be. Diabetes is manageable when kids have support. So why aren't we offering them the same support children with allergies receive?

It’s Dr Banting‘s birthday, and as good a day as any to stop and remember what a vital contribution he made to the lives of millions with his discovery of insulin.

For 11 years, I’ve been a member of Team Diabetes. I run marathons around the world to keep myself healthy and active. I fundraise through the sponsored posts you see on my blog network. I try to raise awareness about the challenges for those living with diabetes, and try to advocate for things to be easier for them.

The past year, my diabetes advocacy has focused on what it’s like to be a child with diabetes. A school aged child. A child that is just learning to read and write but is now responsible for complicated calculations about blood sugar and carbohydrates. Diabetes is a very manageable illness. It’s a pain in the ass, yes, but it is very manageable. If you do it right. Manage it incorrectly and it can be deadly.

So imagine having a 4 or 5 or 6 yr old who has just been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. They need their activity, insulin, and food intake managed multiple times a day. That means they need to manage their diabetes at school.

My Charlie is almost 5, Zacharie is 7. I look at my daily routine with them that is already a juggling act and try to imagine what it would be like to have the added worry about managing their diabetes at school.

So, on this World Diabetes Day, I’d love it if you would watch this video to appreciate a little piece of what it means to be diabetic.

We offer so much school support to kids with allergies, making sure the classroom is a safe place for them. I’d love it if school was a safe and supportive place for T1D kids too. By taking a moment to understand, appreciate, and learn what it’s like to have diabetes, you gain empathy. I don’t have diabetes. My kids (knock on wood) don’t. But I’m trying to make the world a better place for people with diabetes. I’d love your help.